thenearshore | 015 | Sky Full Of Stars

Entry tags:

015 | Sky Full Of Stars

Who: Everyone!
What: Tanabata Festival
When: All day July 5
Where: The Near Shore
Summary: The Heavens are throwing a party and you're invited!

Edit: OVERFLOW is here!

With Tanabata drawing close, the Heavens have decided that there is nothing wrong with a little celebration for the annual occasion. So they have invited everyone on the Far Shore as well as a large number of people from the Near Shore to attend a festival for Tanabata. Tanabata festivals are not uncommon in this area, so the Near Shore residents are none the wiser, though some of them are a little uncertain about where this street they've never heard of popped up from...

Tanabata is a festival held to celebrate the one time a year that the lovers Orihime and Hikoboshi can meet across the vast expanse of the Milky Way. Many birds have been working their tail feathers off to create a bridge for the two lovebirds and that bridge - perhaps unsurprisingly - touches down on this street, in the middle of the festival.

The Heavens have prepared entertainment, food stalls, and as many tanzaku as might be needed for everyone to write down wishes, along with plenty of bamboo stalks to hang the wishes from.

New arrivals will find themselves ushered to the festival and offered traditional clothing after their normal briefing at the Meeting Hall.

Stalls

There are festival stalls of every kind present, all run by shinki dressed in white robes and bearing the golden chrysanthemum of Amaterasu. Many of them seem a little bruised still, but they are happy to smile for anyone who comes to the stall they are running. There is food, games, and drinks available of all kinds, so feel free to roam around to your heart's content sampling everything that you can.

Performance

A large stage has been erected at one end of the festival street. The Heavens know that there are many talented gods and shinki present, so they are more than willing to clear spots in the scheduling for those people to perform. Anytime a Far Shore resident isn't on stage, there are plenty of Near Shore acts to go on, ranging the gambit from traditional music and instruments all the way to a rock band that has somehow found themselves here for the celebration.

Wishes

NOTE:

The Bridge

with

In Summary:

Enjoy the festival
Watch some quality entertainment
Make and/or answer wishes
Meet Orihime
Traverse the bridge
Have fun~

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[Kairi had to go home for a bit. Partly to clear her head - at which point she realized she had no idea what she was going to say. Even taking Nimbus back as fast as she could, she had "all this time" to be happy that Riku was back, or happy about the new girl Mira coming to live with them as Sora's shinki, or anything to try and keep her from feeling too down.

But the fact was that she didn't want to wait longer. She thought about it, long and hard - what if tomorrow, or the next day? It would make her less likely to be seen by Lance immediately after their talk only for her to turn around and try starting something with Forrest. Without even talking to Roxas! What was she thinking???

But as she sat on her bed and her feet kicked at the box just underneath of it at the foot of the bed, Kairi sighs in defeat. Orihime's tale was about waiting... and a part of her even believes Forrest may be done waiting already. But as she kicks the box gently again, finally remembering what's inside it, she decides to chance it. It's the riskiest thing she's done since she and Goten went to Heligoland by themselves. And she changes out of the pastel blue yukata.

She saw him lingering by the Bridge earlier, so a nearby stall is where she gets Nimbus to drop her back off. She can't say anything, she's too nervous, but as she walks slowly towards him he's sure to recognize the outfit she changed into.]

[Forrest meant every word of the wish he made earlier. He wants Kairi to confess tonight. She deserves happiness, no matter who it's with. He'd be lying if he said he didn't hope he was the one she ended up choosing, but at this point, indecision would do nothing but hurt the feelings of everyone involved.

At the beginning of the night, Forrest's mood was hopeful as he took up a spot by the bridge. He smiled at the various couples passing by to spend time together, unable to stop thinking about how the Lady Orihime would be meeting her own beloved Hikoboshi at this very spot in only a few nights. It's certainly a sight he'd love to see, being a romantic at heart.

As the hours wore on, though, his good cheer had begun to fade. He knew there was a chance his wish wouldn't come true at all, of course - or that it would, but that she'd end up coming to the bridge with Lance instead. It was a thought he couldn't keep out of his head the longer he waited, and even though he'd told himself he was ready for it, he couldn't help but frown.

He's so wrapped up in his thoughts that it takes him a moment to notice Kairi's approach. And once he looks up and sees her wearing the sari he'd bought for her during his trip to India, he's absolutely stunned in every sense of the word. Stunned by her beauty. Stunned that she's wearing his gift. And stunned at the thought that she might have chosen him after all. It's a long moment before he's able to find words.]

...You look beautiful.

Edited 2017-04-19 02:22 (UTC)

[She was anxiously holding her hands in front of her and when he says that they squeeze tighter still, Kairi smiling instinctively as much as she's been trying to keep a neutral expression. For all she knows he's just being polite - he took as long as her walking up there to speak, after all. But then again, maybe... She breathes out her own words in a rush.]

So do you.

[Beauty. That's what Hibiki had suggested: Think beauty that brings tears to your eyes, and that person is who she should choose. She couldn't have imagined him looking like this when that suggestion was made, but his face was there anyway - blond hair in curls and his simple bathrobe from the day after the beach.

And he wasn't Naminé, like from her memory. But she didn't want him to be. The way he'd been so excited the night of the Sleepover... in his element like that... that kind of comfort in what he liked was undeniably beautiful too.]

I...

[Her hands clench again.]

I made you wait. [Don't cry don't cry.] Was it... too long?

[For his own part, Forrest has been convinced of the strength of his feelings for Kairi ever since the rather literal realization he had at the sleepover. The ensuing weeks were no less hard on him, though, waiting as patiently as he could for her to bring the topic up again. A growing part of him had been preparing for the 'let's just be friends' speech, but seeing her in front of him - and dressed in the clothing he'd bought for her - he's allowing himself to hope.]

No... not at all.

[She won't have to worry about holding back her tears, because Forrest's begin to flow first. They're unmistakably tears of happiness and relief, though, as he steps forward to gently take her hands in his own.]

Well... maybe a little.

[If he hadn't literally just grabbed her hands, she'd have put at least one of them against a cheek. But seeing him cry a second time does make it impossible for her to hold back either, because it's a literal recall of when he'd told her that morning that he loved her. And she couldn't bear the chance of telling him anything she'd have to take back later, as confused and anxious as she was in the wake of the dreams.

So for now all she can do is hold his hands tighter and push them both together gently as she smiles through her own tears.]

I thought about everything...

[And if she wasn't so choked up it'd have been a ramble, but she shakes her head a little to stop herself.]

What if I was like Hikoboshi, who only got one night a year to see the person who mattered most to me... [And she purses her lips again, trying to say what she wants but it comes out so quiet, if insistent.]

Who would wait for me?

[But she raises their hands then to his cheeks so she really can try to wipe them away even if they're with his own hands because they're both smiling and crying and she doesn't know if this is how things should go, but it's the only way now. It's been too heart-wrenching for her as she tried to be as sure as he was.]

But I already knew.

[At least their tears are both happy this time, as far as Forrest can tell. They're both smiling, which is definitely a good sign, and he squeezes at her hands to let her know that he's not going anywhere. Certainly not for a year or longer.]

If you were like Hikoboshi, would that make me your Orihime?

[His tone is light as he tries to get his tears under control, letting out a breathy laugh. He knows exactly what she's getting at, though, and he's touched that she trusts him that much. The thought of being separated from her for even a day is too much to bear, especially as his feelings come flooding out.]

I'd wait. For as long as it takes.

[He smiles back at her, moving his hands to wipe her tears away next. This might not be the most conventional love confession, but it's beautiful and honest in its own way and it feels perfect to him anyway.]

But we don't have to wait any longer. Certainly not as long as Orihime and Hikoboshi. My father has already given his blessing.

[Leo's sharp, and he's already noticed Forrest mooning over Kairi during moments he thought no one was watching. Like so many others, he thinks they're adorable together.]

[She nods at calling him her Orihime. It doesn't matter. It kind of does only because of her association with clothes and because she was the one who did nothing wrong but had to work anyway to get her beloved... but of anyone she knows Forrest won't take offense at her subconscious flip. She flushes happily as his hands go to her cheeks because they're warm as much as because of all of the emotions flooding through her. She's lost in a happy daze until he says those last couple of words.]

He what...? He... he knew?

[She's just embarrassed, that's all.]

I- I didn't say a word! I didn't want to... hurt you...

[But now she squeezes her eyes shut for the moment. If he knew, who else did?]

It's all right.

[Forrest keeps his hands on her cheeks even as she closes her eyes, feeling them flush in happiness and embarrassment. He didn't mean to surprise her, but he also can't help but laugh a little at her reaction. Running his fingers gently along her cheek, he leans in to kiss the other one.]

I actually told him myself that I was interested in you, but I didn't say anything else.

[Not about the dream, or Lance, or any of the rest of that.]

He made me promise to tell him if I started to feel that way about anyone... it was actually at the party, but before we painted each others' nails.

[His voice is ever so slightly sheepish. The timing on that one was kind of awkward.]

But I didn't talk to anyone else about it. I wanted to make sure you had time and space to make your own decision about things.

[It'd be different if Roxas had found out first. For all that Leo is Forrest's father, they're also both gods, so Forrest has a certain amount of independence that Kairi doesn't have. For all that Roxas allows Kairi a lot of freedom, there's that bond in the back of their minds that they can't escape - one that Kairi is often aware of but rarely feels tangibly, meanwhile she supposes Roxas feels it way more often these days, as much as she tries to keep a lid on her highs and lows. Something like falling in love though, there's no helping that.

So she smiles when she opens her eyes at the feeling of his hand still there. His story is funny in retrospect, and she laughs quietly about it. The timing of it all, indeed. She has to wonder if she and Leo spoke before or after that... and then she wonders if she and Leo spoke at his party before or after Forrest told him it was her specifically. Instead of feeling so much guilt now over how much Forrest has been enduring, she's starting to loosen up about it. He'd ended up talking to someone about it too, after all... and even said her name.

She wants to make a remark about how intelligent or demure or loyal both father and son are, but he kissed her cheek and that's set a wave of butterflies in her stomach.]

[She laughs softly again, but it's much warmer this time.]

I thought you'd do something else.

[Her hands go to his cheeks and then just under his chin as she pulls him toward her and kisses him on the lips, still smiling.

Speaking of making her own decisions.

Because this is not at all how her - their - first kiss went in her dream. And she's more than excited to initiate telling him she loves him with something real, after all the thinking she's done in the wake of those surreal dreams.]

[He wants to ask her more about that, but then she's kissing him and his entire world shrinks down to this place and this moment. Moving his hands to her sides, he slowly slides them around her waist as he kisses back. They may have kissed in the dream, but it turns out nothing compares to the warmth of the real thing, and it leaves him dizzy and utterly breathless.]

...I love you, Kairi.

[She can hear the way he has to gasp for breath in that quiet awed way and keeps right on smiling, feeling more than a little giddy that he's holding her and she just kissed him and they're not even on the bridge that's apparently having some kind of effect on people tonight. It's not the dream either. It's a real kiss and she got her first kiss because she wanted it - from Forrest.

Kairi looks him right in the eyes so she won't miss his expression. It may be the second time he's told her that, outside of a dream, but she never even considered saying the words back before tonight, for fear of making things more difficult for both of them.]

I love you too, Forrest.

[And then they come out so easily now.]

[Forrest lets out another happy sigh at those words - words he had literally only heard her say in his dreams until now. Threading his fingers lightly through her hair, he leans in to give her another brief but tender kiss before holding her hands once again.]

Would you like to walk the bridge together? It would seem we don't need its magic to confess, but I've heard the sights are beautiful.

[She sighs happily as he kisses her again. Yes, this, she can get used to this. She could almost jump for joy, she's so thrilled by how things turned out - not allowing herself to think about explaining things to Roxas just yet.]

I didn't want the magic to be what did it.

[She saw what happened to couples earlier. Of course, then she looks a little shy again but tries her best not to look away entirely.]

As long as we don't... jump right into things... like the dreams?

[She has no problem remembering them - they were amazing, and the one she still thinks about in private occasionally - but to assume they were real and something they'd already 'done' together, that she didn't want to assume.]

I understand. I think it's better this way too.

[He squeezes her hands comfortingly when he sees her expression changing. And once she vocalizes why, his cheeks redden.]

Ah... y-yes, I think it would be best to build up to something like that over time.

[Not that he hasn't thought about the dreams too - especially his own - but he does want things to develop naturally.]

[Kairi smiles back, returning the hand squeeze.]

I'm so glad we're on the same page.

[Genuine relief floods her voice. Build up she takes to mean he would do it again, given the opportunity and the both of them being comfortable together by that point in time. She didn't want to rule the dream scenes out entirely... she liked them, if she was being honest, they made her feel good, but that was definitely the freeing thing of a dream as compared to the real thing.]

I'm okay with... building up too.

[She can't quite imagine what the first step of that might be, after kissing, but in public that's certainly that's all that needs to happen tonight. With her question answered, she starts the motion to walk with him on the bridge, by now having figured out how to walk in the saree comfortably, but with one hand still clasped she's able to keep her arm brushing his too.]

I'm so happy... I don't even know how I'll sleep tonight!

Me too.

[Forrest smiles, brushing his fingers across her cheek before offering his arm for her to take. He blushes a little as she echoes his sentiment about building up to something more than just kissing, quietly glad for the tacit admission that she'd be open to it.]

I know what you mean... I feel like my heart is about to beat right out of my chest.

[As they slowly make their way across the bridge, Forrest marvels at the sight of the sea of stars surrounding them. Obviously they won't be able to make the same journey as Orihime, but the view is absolutely breathtaking. He's content to stop there for a while, simply taking it all in with Kairi at his side.]

So beautiful...

[Between catching sight of a very obvious yellow cloud and of Kairi changing into a very different outfit, how can Hajime not be drawn to whats going on? Even more so when everything is leading to the bridge. She's gotten a lot of pictures tonight. But this particular set feels special. She almost decides against it but at the same time....these are magical memories. Perhaps even a very first kiss?
Those are picture perfect memories so Hajime snaps the shots.

She giggles quietly to herself, not being as loud as she was with previous couples.

Well.

Not until she sees the scene hitting its falling action does she make it more obvious.]

Congrats Kairi, Forrest-san~!

[Hajime calls loudly, smile big as ever. Her face is lit up and her cheeks are even a bit rosy. Who's wouldn't be after seeing all that play out?

If they turn to look in her direction, there's another flash and *CLICK*. Another perfect moment snapped in a photo!]

Hajime?!

[Kairi instinctively shakes her head and pulls her free hand up to her face due to the flash.]

Oh my gosh, Hajime...

[But in the end she's just too happy right now to be as thoroughly embarrassed as she was a little bit ago when she found out Leo knew.]

How... how long have you been listening in exactly?

[She's tucking herself a lot closer to Forrest right now and that's really not helping the matter, probably, but she can't help it in her surprise.]

H-Hajime...!

[Forrest echoes Kairi's surprise with his own. She certainly did a good job being quiet - he didn't hear her at all this whole time. Which of course leaves him wondering the same thing as Kairi.]

Ah... th-thank you.

[He smiles a little awkwardly, looking at the camera.]

Just how many pictures did you take?

Long enough and enough! Forri, Kairest, Kairi and Forrest moments~! Uwahhh!

[Hajime grins at the adorable couple, lifting her phone up to tap against her head lightly as she bounces up and down. Lots of pictures for this amazing moment. She had no idea about this match up but is she ever excited to get to see it.]

It's so cute! Cute! I'll be sure to send you the pictures later too so no worries there!

[Hajime waves to them both again, her own face showing a bit of color due to how excited she is for them]

[Kairi starts laughing again, so much that she starts crying. She can tell Hajime's happy for them, and Forrest is happy too, and she's happy, and it's just a lot right now. But now that she's had a moment, she realizes she does want to see those pictures.]

Well, uhm--

[She wipes away the happy tears again with her fingers before looking over at Forrest.]

Nicknames or not... Maybe one nice picture? Where we're not in complete shock.

[A posed one, in essence.]

I'll be looking forward to it, Hajime.

[The laughter is contagious, and it takes Forrest a few moments before he's able to stop too.]

Ahaha... y-yes, that sounds like a good idea. We're making memories tonight, after all, aren't we?

Yesss!

[She gives them both a two finger salute. They're both too cute.]

Shoot me a text or come by the temple next time you're free. I've been getting all kinds of good shots by this bridge but, I gotta say, Kairi and Forrest-san have been the icying on the cake! Congrats! Congrats!

[Her smile just grows, if at all possible.]

I'll give ya'll some time to yourself! Incase you wanna do more K-I-S-S-I-N-G! Bye bye!

[She waves before skipping off]

Overflow link here!

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015 | Sky Full Of Stars

Bridge, late at night

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Bye bye Hajime <3 Thanks!!